'I don't know': Paul Ryan doesn't rule out future run for president

Speaker
of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks with members of the House
Republican leadership following their weekly policy meeting June
14, 2016 in Washington, DC.Win
McNamee/Getty Images

House Speaker Paul Ryan declined to rule out a potential future
White House bid Thursday, explaining in an interview that he
doesn’t currently have "presidential-sized personal ambitions"
but conceding that could change later in life.

“Do you have any interest in being president one day?” a reporter
asked.

“I’ve passed on it 2012, I passed on it in 2016. If I was that
ambitious, I would have run by now,” the Wisconsin Republican
replied.

He added: “I have presidential-sized policy ambitions, but I’ve
really yet to have presidential-sized personal ambitions.”

“So you don’t see yourself taking that jump?” the reporter
pressed.

“I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that question,” Ryan
said.

“Maybe it’s because the stage and phase in life I am,” the House
speaker added. “I think that’s really probably it. The reason I
have not been as personally ambitious as my policy ambition is, I
think, is just because the phase of life I’m in, given the stage
and age of my family.”

Ahead of the 2016 cycle, there was much speculation
about Ryan jumping into the race. When Donald Trump
seized the GOP nomination, Ryan was floated by Republicans
opposed to Trump's candidacy as someone whom delegates could
possibly agree to nominate at the convention through a change
in rules.

Ryan, for his part, repeatedly said he was not interested in
running for president in 2016.